pART of us: 2016 IB Art Exhibit

After two years of hard work, the seniors in IB Art are finally revealing their completed art pieces to theschool. Monday, March 28 marks the opening of the 2016 IB Art exhibit “PART of US”.

Even though the exhibit might just seem like a chool event, it is actually extremely significant IB-wise. The art exhibit is the internal assessment for IB Art and accounts for 40% of the IB art grade, for higher level and standard level students alike.

The exhibit kicked off with a video made by the students, speeches, along with refreshments like ice cream and popcorn for all the guests. Afterwards, the guests walked upstairs to the third floor and started viewing the artworks.

At the beginning of each artist’s exhibits, the viewers are able to see a personal statement that includes the artist’s theme(s) and how each art piece ties into those theme(s). The artists also offered explanations of intentions, ideas, and process of their artworks. Each artist had a theme that spoke out to them, like environmental issues, urbanization, social issues, perception, and deficiencies.

The artworks featured ranged from photographs and paintings to sculptures and large installations. The art students utilized all sorts of materials, including empty vitamin bottles, clear umbrellas, shoes, makeup, and mirrors in creative ways to create riveting pieces that left the viewers pondering the meaning or inspiration behind the artworks.

One of the pieces was a hanging installation with animals made from hot glue with intricate details. When asked about the inspiration, Poh Ann explained that she had watched a documentary where people cut open the dead corpses of seagulls, and found that there was a great amount of indigested plastic inside. It turns out that the seagulls had been attracted to the colorful plastic, then eat them, and since they couldn’t digest them the seagulls would die instantly. Since hot glue is also considered plastic, her piece is an aftermath of that issue.

When asked about the advice that she would give to the students planning to take IB Art, Poh Ann added that IB Art is not a relaxing course, and to “only take this course if you really do have a passion for art. The curriculum can be brutal around this time of the year, so it’s pretty important to think about how you plan your time.

Overall, the exhibit was a success and marked a great ending to the end of the two-year IB Art curriculum. Soon, some of these pieces will decorate the school, so keep a look out for them.